Reaching out to her
by MercuryKittenOldAccount
Summary: Harharhar, and you thought this was a one shot! Now complete, 11 chappys!
1. Chapters 1 7

Please, don't ask...a bit of Golden Sun and my screwy imagination of the character' s backgrounds combined....kinda..stupid.....  
  
Keeya: Will she stop doing dots?  
  
Their called PERIODS, Keeya.  
  
BTW, this is STRICTLY ISAAC/MIA! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!  
  
Well, without further adieu....  
  
Chapter 1  
  
The hand I have.......  
  
Holding hers....  
  
She looks down  
  
I stroke her face  
  
Then it comes  
  
The kiss  
  
She draws away  
  
and laughs  
  
And she says I'm turning  
  
red  
  
I kiss her back  
  
it's her turn to turn red  
  
and our hands clasp  
  
Isaac awoke, breathing hard. That dream....it was so real....  
  
Had he really been there? Kissing Mia? That couldn't be right...  
  
He sat up abruptly. It was just a dream.  
  
Right?  
  
The adept got out of bed and walked up the stairs to the deck of Babi's ship. He and his friends had been traveling for nearly a month now, and neither Lemuria nor either lighthouse had been spotted.  
  
Isaac rammed his head against the mast. What was he doing, thinking about romance, when there were much more drastic problems looming over them?  
  
"Isaac?"  
  
The Venus adept stopped knocking his brains out and turned to see who had spoken. It was Ivan.  
  
"Hey, Ivan." Isaac sighed.  
  
The younger adept turned to look out at the horizon. "Beautiful sunrise, isn't it?"  
  
Isaac nodded.  
  
"It's too bad Mia and Garet aren't up to see this." Ivan sighed.  
  
Suddenly Isaac was curious about something. "Ivan, why are you up this early? he asked gently.  
  
It was Ivan's turn to sigh. "I've been having these horrible nightmares. There's all this fire, and people are screaming, and then there's always this one woman who keeps calling my name, but whenever I try to go to her, some guy grabs her and takes her away, and he's muttering something I can't hear. That's how it goes every single time."  
  
"That sounds bad."  
  
Ivan turned to Isaac with a spark of fear embedded in his eyes. "It's terrible."  
  
His expression changed. "Why are you up so early, anyway? You guys usually are asleep, I'm usually the only one who's up this early."  
  
Isaac attempted to avoid the question. "You've been up this early every day? Wow."  
  
"Don't sneak around it, Isaac."  
  
The Venus adept picked up a stray piece of seaweed that had somehow made it's way on board and pretended to be engrossed it in examining it. "I just don't want to talk about it, ok?"  
  
Ivan shrugged. "Ok, but it helps to get things out, you know. It felt better when I told you about my dreams."  
  
Isaac kept studying the plant. "I just don't, alright?" He said, harsher then had had intended.  
  
The Jupiter adept drew back uncomfortably. "Sorry, I'll leave you alone." He muttered, and walked away.  
  
Isaac looked at the trembling boy and sighed for what must have been the millionth time that morning. He felt bad for making Ivan feel so...unwanted, but he couldn't tell anyone about his feelings for her. He was almost positive that Garet and Ivan didn't have a clue about how he felt. Isaac was also sure Mia didn't know either.  
  
That was exactly what he wanted.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Suddenly, there was a shrill scream.  
  
Isaac and Ivan forgot their quarrel and dashed down the stairs to the cabins below.  
  
The shrieks led them to Mia's room, and, not wasting a minute, the two ran in.  
  
A horrible sight met their eyes.  
  
A vicious-looking, spiny, lizard-like monster had Mia pinned against the wall by her neck. His red eyes were fixed in a maddening satisfaction as he eyed his prey, and his cerulean scaly skin glowed menacingly. The monster drew his free claw, as sharp as a freshly made axe, and waved it tauntingly in front of the poor girl, threatening to slit her throat at any possible moment...  
  
Garet was slumped over on a chair not too far away from them. He had a crimson slash stretching down his face, and his skin was turning a deathly shade of gray.  
  
Ivan and Isaac jumped right into action. The creature, so absorbed in torturing his victim, had not noticed them come in, and Isaac was able to attack from behind. He shoved his blade into the lizard.  
  
The monster turned and yanked the sword out of its stomach, throwing it back at its wielder. The attack had done no more then aggravate the foe, and Isaac turned pale.  
  
Mia slid down the wall, paralyzed with fear.  
  
Ivan seized his rod and took a mad swing at the monster's head, using every ounce of strength he had in him.  
  
Smack! The home-run hit baffled the monster, and it began to topple over.  
  
Relief turned to fear as Isaac realized the defeated enemy was about to fall on the terror struck Mia. Thinking quickly, he lunged.  
  
Everything turned to slow motion. Using all his might, he shoved Mia out of the path of the monster, and then rolled himself to safety. The lizard plummeted the ground with incredible force, and let out a yell of pain before it exploded into a fine dust.  
  
Isaac stood up and helped the trembling Mercury adept to her feet. She was still shaking, and he pulled her close...  
  
The world seemed to stop. The two locked eyes for what seemed like eternity.  
  
Then Mia drew gently away. She kneeled by Garet.  
  
"The monster's barbs poisoned him, but he'll be ok." she reassured Isaac as she stroke the wound on Garret's face. It vanished, and he began to regain his color.  
  
Isaac nodded, too embarrassed to do anything else, and left the room.  
  
Mia's glance was still on the spot he had been.  
  
What he had done...  
  
What did it mean?  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Mia seemed to be trying to avoid Isaac for the rest of the day.  
  
Then again, she always seemed not to be as closely knit friends with the others. Sure, she would talk with them, and lend her ideas, and socialize with the group, but she usually kept her distance. Isaac had a feeling she didn't trust them as much as she wanted them to believe.  
  
And who could have blamed her? Her closest friend, Alex, had abandoned her in a snap. He had broken her heart, and since the meeting atop of Mercury Lighthouse, Isaac rarely saw Mia happy. That traitor had scarred her for life. Who knew if she would be able to trust again?  
  
There was something else gnawing at Isaac's mind. Mia never talked about her family. Whenever he mentioned that to her, she made a half smile and told him not to be silly, or abruptly changed the subject. This only added to his curiosity.  
  
"Dinner!" yelled Garet. It was his turn to be the chef that night.  
  
Isaac, Ivan, and Mia looked at each other warily. Last time Garet had cooked, Ivan had found a hairy something that looked suspiciously like a tail in the food, and now Mia plain out refused to eat anything the clumsy adept had touched.  
  
The three went downstairs, and immediately took a whiff of something nasty.  
  
"God, Garet, what did you make, deep fried socks?" asked Isaac, holding his nose.  
  
"No." Garet rolled his eyes and dumped a plate of grayish mush on their plates. Mia nibbled on an apple, watching the others prod at the blandish substance.  
  
"Ivan? You want to do the honors?" said Garet. He was obviously very proud of his work.  
  
Not wanting to offend his friend, the Jupiter adept closed his eyes and took a tiny bite. He chewed for a while, his face showing no expression, then he opened up his eyes.  
  
"Well?" asked Isaac eagerly. "Is it poison or not?"  
  
"It tastes like garlic-flavored cotton candy rolled in fresh caramel with a drop of pepper and a hint of lemon." Ivan reported, his face dead serious.  
  
Mia cracked up. Isaac made a face.  
  
"It's not half bad." The younger boy said, and shoveled more into his mouth.  
  
Isaac took a bite out of curiosity, and then spat it out. "That's nasty!"  
  
Quickly he chugged down a glass of water, trying to get rid of the taste in his mouth.  
  
Garet made a face mocking sadness, and pretended to cry. "You are so mean!" he wailed pathetically.  
  
The Mercury adept shook her head. "You guys are so weird." she said, and left the room.  
  
Ivan whacked Garet on the head. "Hey, you made the chick leave!"  
  
Isaac turned to look at the spot where Mia had been sitting and sighed. She had been taking every excuse she could get to get away from them.  
  
Something was wrong with her.  
  
He was determined to find out what.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Mia was standing by the wooden railing of the ship, peering glumly over the edge. So many questions she had, but the answers just led to more questions when she tried to answer them herself.  
  
She was terribly puzzled.  
  
"Why does Isaac act this way all of a sudden?" she asked herself. "What's going on? He's never done this before, why now?" she whispered.  
  
He had held her, so close she felt his heart beat. He had looked into her eyes and everything became calm. A smile had inched up his face and suddenly everything was perfect in the world. All Mia had wanted to do was stay there in his arms for the rest her life...  
  
Then adept shook her head. She knew she couldn't trust him. She couldn't trust anyone. Being the gentle, sensitive girl she was, Mia couldn't stand to be broken again. If anyone else did what Alex had done to her, she wouldn't be able to take it.  
  
And it wasn't just Alex who had taken away her trust. It was something much deeper, something that haunted her dreams...  
  
She didn't want to think about what had happened, and shook the thoughts out of her mind.  
  
Her thoughts about Isaac came swimming back instead.  
  
Surely, it wouldn't hurt to believe he wouldn't hurt her?  
  
No. That's what had happened with Alex.  
  
But love is different then just friendship. It's more of a bond...  
  
The fact it was romance was why it would be so difficult to love him...  
  
Mia suddenly realized what she was thinking. Was she thinking she loved Isaac?  
  
As much as she tried to lie to herself, she knew it was true.  
  
She sighed. She couldn't risk it. Men always ended up deceiving her in the end.  
  
But how badly she wanted to trust him.....  
  
Mia sighed.  
  
She felt a tap on her shoulder and whipped around.  
  
It was Isaac.  
  
She went speechless.  
  
"Hey, thought I'd come and find you." He said, putting his elbow on the rail.  
  
"How...how long have you been here?" she stammered in a whisper, worried he heard what she had said.  
  
He looked confused. "I just came up a second ago. Why?"  
  
"Nothing." she said, turning her head. "I, I gotta go." she muttered, and began to dash off.  
  
Isaac caught her. "Mia, why are you always running away from me?" he asked, sadness in his eyes. He looked so upset.  
  
She took a deep breath, but before she could say a word, the two felt a jolt. They looked over the rail.  
  
Everything seemed fine.  
  
Garet and Ivan came up the stairs. "What happened?"  
  
"We don't know!"  
  
Suddenly Ivan gasped. His eyes widened, and he stammered.  
  
"Ivan, what are you doing?" asked Mia nervously.  
  
The boy pointed to behind them and choked out a solitary word.  
  
"Pirates."  
  
Chapter 5  
  
The others turned and saw the boy was right.  
  
A massive pirate ship was drifting nearer and nearer. Compared to the high black sails and decorated masthead of the enemy vessel, the adept's ship seemed like a canoe.  
  
"They see us!" whispered Ivan. "Their heading straight for our boat!"  
  
Mia began to shake. "What do we do now?" she asked in panic.  
  
"What can we do? It's either surrender or fight." said Isaac. For once, he didn't have a plan.  
  
"I say we fight!" growled Garet. "I don't care about anything else, but they'll probably try to get their hands on the Mars star."  
  
"He's right." Admitted Isaac.  
  
"But were outnumbered! We'll be taken down!" shouted Ivan hysterically.  
  
"Yeah, but 10 to 1 they aren't adepts." said Isaac. "We might be able to take them."  
  
Ivan shrugged. "Your the leader."  
  
All of them drew their weapons. Mia readied herself to fight, but Isaac stopped her.  
  
"Mia, go hide."  
  
She was astonished. "Why? I always fight with you guys!"  
  
"But this time, we are up against pirates. In all the stories I've heard, pirates always try to kidnap the women."  
  
Ivan nodded. "He's right. I've heard stories too."  
  
Isaac took her hand. "Please, I don't want you to get hurt."  
  
Mia sighed and fled downstairs.  
  
The remanding party braced themselves.  
  
Mia dashed down the stairs and ran into her cabin. She locked the door tightly shut and blocked it with a chair. She closed her eyes and listened.  
  
All was silent at first. Then, came muffled yells, and the girl knew the intruders were on the ship. Gruesome sounds thundered down to her ears and she winced, hoping none of the fatal blows had cost one of her friend's lives.  
  
Mia heard an agonizing yell and immediately thought of Ivan. A tear rolled down her cheek.  
  
"Please, let him live." she whispered to the ceiling. "Let all of them be ok."  
  
Suddenly she realized her shoes were wet. The room was flooding.  
  
With a flash, Mia knew what had caused the jolt earlier. The pirates must have fired  
  
a cannon at the ship, and the effects were talking place.  
  
To make matters worse, someone was thundering down the stairs, and she heard someone pounding on the door to her room.  
  
"It's locked!" came a gruff voice. "Must be something valuable in here!"  
  
Mia gasped. The door was knocked down, and she was looking to the face of two of the thieves.  
  
"Well hello, little lady." One said, a smile spreading across his face.  
  
"You're right, there was something valuable in here!" said the other.  
  
Mia shot a beam of ice towards the two. It barely missed the first pirate's ear. While they were distracted, Mia ran out of the room.  
  
"Hey, get back here, you!" one of them shouted.  
  
The terrified adept ran on deck and ducked and something heavy came near her head. To her relief, she saw all her friends were ok, and a remarkable load of pirates were dead or were fleeing the scene.  
  
She should have paid more attention. Two metal balls connected by a chain were slung at her, binding her feet tightly together. The force of the throw threw her of the ship, and the weight of the iron dragged her down, down, down....  
  
Mia's lungs were about to burst as she sunk lower and lower. Even being Mercury adept wasn't going to help her. Being human, she could only hold her breath for so long.  
  
She knew this was the end, and closed her eyes, imagining her friends, seeing Isaac for the very last time....  
  
Then, she felt herself hit the ocean floor.  
  
All went black as she went unconscious.  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Isaac had seen Mia fall and had ran to go save her, but was blocked off.  
  
Now, all the pirates were dead or gone, but it was too late. Mia would have drowned by now.  
  
Isaac peered down the side, staring wildly at the spot where she had fallen in.  
  
He began to laugh madly. Mia? Gone? Yeah, right. Any minute now, she'd come over and tap him on the shoulder, saying she was ok.  
  
Any moment now...  
  
The moment never came.  
  
He stopped laughing and ran his hand over the broken part of the railing she had been slammed through. He was too saddened to cry, he could only stare in disbelief....  
  
Isaac stretched out his hand to the water, almost maddened by the death.  
  
"Come on," he whispered to the water. "Grab my hand, I'll pull you up..."  
  
"Augh!"  
  
Isaac turned and saw a panic-stricken Garet.  
  
"Isaac, were sinking! The pirates made a hole in the boat! We gotta get out of here!"  
  
Isaac sat motionless by the side. "Who cares?" he said quietly.  
  
Garet kneeled by his friend and shook him. "I know your sad, but there isn't anything we can do! Please, we need to go!"  
  
"Go on without me."  
  
"Isaac, you'll drown!"  
  
"Mia is down there somewhere. I'll be with her."  
  
Isaac looked at Garet. "Please, Garet. I'll be ok."  
  
Garet stared into Isaac's eyes, surprised. Then he hugged his friend.  
  
"I'd never thought we'd be apart. Best friends always stay together." he said softly.  
  
"But if it's what you want...." he broke off from his sentence.  
  
Then he turned and left.  
  
Isaac didn't look back at him.  
  
Looking down, he saw that the water level was considerably closer to him then it was a while ago. It was real, then. He, Isaac, was about to die.  
  
Isaac took a deep breath and thought of everyone who would miss him. Ivan and Garet, having to complete this task all by themselves. He would miss them both very much.  
  
Think back, he remembered how the healer had instructed him to save Jenna and prevent the lighting of the lighthouses, and how he was letting him down...he thought of Jenna, his best friend, who was counting on him to save her...  
  
By then, the water was up to his chest, and Isaac took another deep breath. It was almost over...  
  
The board he was on had become weak and slanted, throwing him into the salty water. He closed his eyes as he began to sink...  
  
I'm sorry Ivan, he thought. I'm sorry Garet; sorry you have to do this alone. I'm sorry Jenna, for letting you down. I'm sorry, Mom.....  
  
His mother. She was already all alone, and would surely die if he killed himself...  
  
That's when Isaac decided he didn't want to die. Using all his power, he shot up to the surface and took a deep breath, never happier to breath in his life. He wailed around his arms for a while, trying to stay afloat.  
  
A piece of the wrecked ship floated by him and he seized it, holding on it with a death grip. Holding on tight, he began to kick, and slowly began to move.  
  
Hours later, the sun was down completely, and Isaac was exhausted. He reckoned he had traveled a mile or so, and was extremely thirsty.  
  
He looked up and saw an island. Isaac gave a silent cheer and headed towards it happily.  
  
He was in for the biggest shock of his life. Chapter 7  
  
About 10 minutes later, Isaac hit land. He had been worried it had been a mirage, but here it was.  
  
He staggered up a beach and fell on his, staring up at the starry night. At one point, his eyes closed, and when he opened them again, it was day.  
  
Now, he wasn't as happy to be here. He was terribly thirsty, and the sun was shining down on him without mercy.  
  
Isaac walked out of the sun and down the beach, looking for shade. There didn't seem to be anyone here besides him.  
  
The sun made him tired quickly, and he sat down to rest.  
  
Then he saw something that made his jaw drop.  
  
A girl was half on the beach, half in the water, the waves splashing over her body.  
  
A girl with long blue hair...  
  
Mia!  
  
Isaac stood and ran over to her. She was still unconscious, but was no longer bound.  
  
The excited adept pulled her out of the water and carried her up to the beach. He put two fingers to her neck and waited for a pulse. None came.  
  
Isaac grew nervous. He put his ear to her heart and listened.  
  
At first, silence.  
  
Then it came. A weak thump was pounding, slowly at first, but with every beat, it grew stronger.  
  
Isaac cheered and took the girl's hand. Mia was going to survive.  
  
An hour later, Mia's eyes opened. She looked around weakly.  
  
"Isaac?" she asked. "Is that you?"  
  
Isaac smiled. "Yeah."  
  
"How...how did I get here? I thought I drowned?"  
  
"I have no clue what happened, but you were washed up over on the beach."  
  
Mia rubbed her eyes. "How did you get here?"  
  
"The boat sank. I sorta swam."  
  
The adept closed her eyes. She was tired.  
  
"Go back to sleep." he told her. "You must rest."  
  
Mia didn't need to be told twice.  
  
Isaac walked around the little island and found he saw a large chunk of land from the eastern tip. It looked like a continent. He estimated it was about a half a mile from them. He might be able to kick his way across, he supposed, but Mia might not have the energy.  
  
He was wrong. When he went back to where she had been sleeping, she was gone. Isaac saw footprints and followed them until he came across Mia, who was almost all the way around the island.  
  
"Mia?"  
  
She turned. "I was looking for you." she said crossly. "You were making me think I was going crazy!"  
  
Isaac shuffled. "Sorry." he said, "Forgive me?"  
  
Mia looked at him for a second, then she pounced. Throwing her arms around him, she threw the baffled adept to the ground in a gigantic hug.  
  
"You don't know how happy I am to see you! I thought I was never going to see you again!" she cried.  
  
"Ooof!" came the muffled reply.  
  
The girl got off him and laughed. "I'm sorry, it's just that I missed you so much..."  
  
Isaac brushed himself off. "It's alright."  
  
The two caught each other's eyes and cracked up.  
  
Finally, Isaac began to be serious. "Mia, I saw a way we might be able to get out of here." He said, and pointed out the inlet.  
  
Mia looked at it, and turned back to him. "I probably could swim that. What do Ivan and Garet think?"  
  
Isaac remembered his friends and sighed. "They abandoned the ship went it was sinking. They aren't on the island."  
  
"Didn't you go with them?"  
  
Isaac looked down at his shoes. "I was going to try to, um, kill myself for letting you die." he said in a whispery voice.  
  
Mia looked at him in shock. "Really?"  
  
Isaac nodded. "Pretty stupid, huh?"  
  
The adept's expression turned into a smile. "Yes."  
  
Isaac looked down again, and ran his fingers through the soft sand.  
  
Mia took his hand. "But you would do that? Just to be with me?"  
  
He turned and looked at her. "Yes. And I always would."  
  
Then he did it.  
  
He kissed her.  
  
She kissed him back.  
  
And this time, Isaac knew it wasn't a dream. 


	2. Chapter 8 11 end

Chapter 8  
  
The two drew away.  
  
"We shouldn't have done that." whispered Mia fearfully.  
  
Isaac raised an eyebrow. "Why?"  
  
"Just, it's just that..." She turned away, sadly.  
  
"Tell me!" he said.  
  
Mia sighed. "Isaac, I love you, but I just can't trust anyone anymore."  
  
Isaac glared at the ground. "It's because of Alex, isn't it?"  
  
The girl shook her head. "There's more to it than that."  
  
He put his arm on her shoulder. "Please tell me."  
  
Mia pretended to ignore him. "Shouldn't we go? The sun will set in a few hours, and we want to hit land before it's dark!"  
  
It took Isaac a moment to understand she was talking about swimming to land.  
  
"That can wait untill tomorrow." he said. "Please, I want to know."  
  
"I've never told anyone before." whispered Mia.  
  
"Please, Mia, I want to help you. I wont make fun of you, or anything, if that's what your worried about."  
  
"That's not it."  
  
"Then why wont you tell?"  
  
He had stumped her, and she gave in.  
  
"Alright." she said. "You have to promise not to tell anyone, ok?"  
  
"I promise." said Isaac gravely.  
  
Mia took a long breath.  
  
"My parents....They were murdered."  
  
Isaac's eyes opened up wide. "Your kidding!"  
  
She shook her head.  
  
"Whe, when did this happen?"  
  
"I was 11."  
  
Isaac seized her arm, upset. "Oh my god...Mia, I'm so sorry..."  
  
She pretended not to hear. "It was some night, around November, I think. It was midnight, and Alex woke me up. He said he heard something.  
  
We both tiptoed downstairs and saw that some thieves had broken in. My parents tried to stop them, but the robbers had knives, and..."  
  
She had begun to cry so hard she couldn't finish what she was saying. Isaac, thunder-struck, hugged her and clamed her down as much as he could.  
  
"Mia, why was Alex with you?" he asked softly.  
  
"Oh, his parents and my parents were best friends. His Mom and Dad died a few years before mine, so he came to live with us. We've known eachother for quite along time." she said timidly, still crying.  
  
"Mia, I'm so sorry...I can see why you can't trust anyone anymore." Isaac whispered.  
  
Mia burst into sobs and couldn't speak.  
  
Isaac let her lean against him as he quietly soothed her. He had never seen her this upset before.  
  
After a while, Mia calmed down. She seemed a bit embarrassed.  
  
"We better get some rest, if we want to have enough energy for tomorrow." she said timidly.  
  
Her friend nodded and stood.  
  
"G'night." He said, and kissed her once more before retreating to the other side of the island.  
  
Mia stared up at the sky. She couldn't believe she was alive.  
  
How did she survive? She strained her memory for maybe a glimpse of evidence.  
  
She had been falling in the cool ocean, and she hit the floor, and all had gone black...  
  
Then she remembered something else.  
  
She remembered something freeing her from her bonds, lifting her up...  
  
As much as she tried, Mia couldn't recall anything else.  
  
She closed her eyes and fell asleep. Chapter 9  
  
"What do you mean you don't know how to swim?" Mia asked, wide eyed.  
  
Isaac shuffeled, embarrassed. "I never, um, really learned..."  
  
It had dawned a bright, beautiful morning. The two friends had silently agreed not to mention the last night's events.  
  
"Well how did you get here?" The mercury adept asked.  
  
"I kicked." Stated Isaac, as if that would explain everything.  
  
Mia couldn't help but smile. The thought of Isaac making his way through the eastern sea all the way here was humorous.  
  
"It's not funny." her compainion told her grumpily. Isaac wasn't much of a morning person, in any circumstances.  
  
"Well, maybe we should build a raft or something." Mia suggested.  
  
Isaac laughed. "Yes, I'm sure all this sand would make a fine boat." he said sarcastically.  
  
"Okay, scratch that..."  
  
The island basically had nothing but the fine white sand. There wasn't any vegitation whatsoever. Both the adepts were unbearably thristy, and the miles and miles of salty water around them didn't do much to help.  
  
"Maybe a boat will pass by?" Isaac said hopefully. He felt bad for damaging Mia's spirits, and tried to cheer her up.  
  
"Maybe."  
  
A long time passed, and no boat came. Mia had never been so thirsty.  
  
"I'm going to shrivel up if I don't get water soon." She groaned.  
  
"The Lamaken Desert is a tundra compared to this." Isaac agreed. "At least it had hidden water."  
  
Suddenly Mia stood up and shaded her eyes with her hand.  
  
"I think I see something!" she yelled estatically to her companion.  
  
Isaac jumped to his feet and fixed his eyes on a black dot that was inching across the horizon. It was moving slowly towards them.  
  
Neither Isaac nor Mia moved thier gaze away from the spot, and as it came closer they saw what it was.  
  
"IT'S A SHIP!" " Mia hollered joyfully. "AND IT'S COMING RIGHT TOWARDS US!"  
  
Isaac wasn't as estatic as he was nervous. "What if it's pirates or something?"  
  
The girl whacked him. "Who gives if it's a pirate ship? This could be our ticket out of here!"  
  
"But..."  
  
He gave up as he saw Mia wasn't listening.  
  
The ship came closer and turned out not to be a pirate ship. The two started to wail their arms around and yell.  
  
"HELP!!! Please!"  
  
The massive vessel came closer, and the two heard a voice.  
  
"Oh my god, Captain, thier's two kids on that sandbar over there!"  
  
Isaac and Mia saw a crew flood the left side of the deck and stare at them in disbelief.  
  
"You kids hold on, we'll be right there!" On of them yelled.  
  
They came closer untill the two shipwrecked adepts could wade in and touch the boat. Someone lowered a ladder.  
  
"Can you guys come out and climb up?" Someone who seemed to be the captian was calling out to them.  
  
The two friends made a mad dash for the vessel and scrambled up the ladder onto the deck of the ship.  
  
Once they were aboard, the crew got them some water, and they guzzled it down greedily, to thirsty to worry about saving any.  
  
"What's your name, son?" The captian asked Isaac kindly.  
  
"I'm Isaac, and this is Mia." he said breathlessly. "We were shipwrecked."  
  
"You kids from that Tolibin ship that got attacked by the Korokuri two days ago?" the man asked. "We saw the ruins."  
  
Isaac nodded.  
  
"Who else was with you?"  
  
The Venus adept's eyes lit up in fear. "Oh god, I forgot about Ivan and Garet! I hope they're okay..."  
  
"Don't worry. They are."  
  
The two adepts looked at eachother, puzzled.  
  
"What do you mean?" Mia asked uncertiantly.  
  
At that moment, someone from the crew came up the stairs.  
  
Ivan and Garet trailed behind them. Chapter 10  
  
The moment the four friends saw eachother, they joyfully ran towards the others, and a charade of hugging and laughing followed.  
  
"We thought you were dead!" Ivan shouted happily.  
  
Garet broke away from the group and took a long stare at Mia. "What are you doing here? You drowned!"  
  
Mia smiled. "Apparently not."  
  
"But we saw you, and the chain, and the splash, and..."  
  
Isaac cut him off. "Things aren't always what they seem, like when we thought Felix died."  
  
Ivan gasped. "I totally forgot about the quest! We need to find Jupiter lighthouse!"  
  
Mia nodded. "We need to go quick, or we'll miss them."  
  
THe captian looked at the happy friends and smiled. "I'm glad you're all reunited, but it's getting late. You should get some rest."  
  
Ivan and Garet showed the two newcomers where they slept, and one of the crew members got extra blankets for them. Soon all four of the friends were sleeping soundly.  
  
The first thing Mia noticed when she woke was the fact she was shivering madly. Below deck was so cold even she was freezing.  
  
She sat up and looked around. Through a small window she could tell it was still night, but she was too cold to even think about sleep. Instead, she huddled up and waited for the night to pass.  
  
Suddenly she felt icy hands draping a blanket over her shoulders, and by reflexe, she tensed.  
  
"That better?"  
  
It was Isaac. Mia could tell by his kind voice.  
  
"I heard you shaking." He continued. "It is cold down here, isn't it?"  
  
Mia noticed he was trying to hide the fact he was shivering too. "Won't you be cold?"  
  
Isaac smiled in the darkness. "It's okay, I'll be alright."  
  
He kissed her head and went back to where he was.  
  
The Mercury adept felt guilty, but not guilty enough to do anything. Instead, she went back to sleep, a smile on her face.  
  
She awoke to screams and yells from on board.  
  
Isaac, Garet, and Ivan were awake too. They were worried.  
  
"What's going on?" Ivan muttered sleepily.  
  
The captian stormed into the the room at tha moment. He had a petrified look on his face.  
  
"Sea...monster..."He murmered, and fainted on the spot.  
  
Isaac bravely smiled at them. "We've done sea monsters before. We can handle this."  
  
The others nodded and ran upstairs.  
  
The sun was rising, sending beams of what could be only hammered gold down the currents of the ocean. But the four friends didn't notice the spectacular sight.  
  
They were too busy concentrating on the monsterous serepent destroying everything in it's path.  
  
It was a giant snake with arms and jade scales. It had sharp teeth, sharp as knives, and a tail with a spike as deadly as poison. It had beady coal eyes with a glimmer of evil, and it's smile was horrible as the face of death itself.  
  
Mia squeaked with fear. Garet just gasped.  
  
The monster saw the adepts and lunged. Isaac was just able to pull Mia out of the way before it struck the ship, creating a vast hole. He seized her in his arms and yanked her away. The two caught eyes, and Isaac saw she was locked in fear. The Kraken, or even the dragon Menardi and Saterous had morphed into weren't even as half as terryifying as this.  
  
Poor Mia. THis is horrible.he thought, letting her out of his grasp.  
  
Garet had cast all the psyenergy he could, and was so exhausted he could barely breathe. Ivan was down, and was sprawled on the deck unconcious, his beloved Psyenergy Rod by his side.  
  
Isaac and Mia attacked with all thier might, but it was no use. This monster was invincible, it's scales like crystal against thier weapons.  
  
Isaac was down to his last few seconds as he raised his blade and begged silently for a miracle....  
  
He struck the serpent in the stomach, it's only weak spot. The monster shrieked and dove away.  
  
But before he left, he swatted poor Isaac with his tail, sending him flying out into the ocean below.  
  
"Isaac!" Mia screamed, and lunged for the edge of the ship. A few of the surviving mates tried to pull her back, but she fled out of thier grasp and jumped into the water.  
  
The monster had left waves, and Mia was slammed against the ship by one, Quickly recovering, she dove under and opened her eyes. Being a Mercury adept, her vision was as good, almost better, as it was on land, and she could easily see Isaac beginning to sink.  
  
Mia swam like lightning to her friend. Isaac's eyes were half open, and he was almost sub-concious. He couldn't tell she was coming. For all he knew, she was a large blue fish.  
  
The adept reached her friend and grabbed him by the arm, then shot up to the surface at full force.  
  
Isaac gulped for air and clung to her as she paddeled back to the ship. She made sure that he got on board first.  
  
"Are you okay?" Garet croaked.  
  
His friend didn't respond, he was barely alive.  
  
Mia put her ear to his chest, unaware that three days before he had done the same to her.  
  
"His lungs are filled with water." She murmered. "The monster caught him off guard."  
  
She turned to her friends. "I'm sorry, but I need you to leave."  
  
They nodded and went downstairs.  
  
Mia held her friend's icy hand and began to whisper.  
  
"Hold on Isaac, you just need to keep breathing, just hold my hand..."  
  
Her words seemed to go through to him, as he slightly tightened his grip.  
  
"It's alright. Take your time, just breath slowly..."  
  
He opened his eyes. Chapter 11  
  
Isaac opened his eyes and saw an angel's soothing gaze melting him away.  
  
He slightly shook his head. "Mia?"  
  
Mia stroked his face. "It's my turn to say you'll be okay."  
  
Isaac sat up and enveloped her in his arms.  
  
"Thanks for saving me." he told her.  
  
"I owed you one." She whispered, resting her head against his chest. "I don't know how I was able to save you."  
  
Isaac smiled. "I have a theory."  
  
Mia raised her eyebrows uncertianitly.  
  
"You know how you suddenly went from the bottom of the ocean to that island?" he continued, brushing Mia's hair out of her eyes.  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Well, you know how I was in the ocean too, right?"  
  
Suddenly, it began to sink in for Mia.  
  
She vaugely remembered hands lifting her up, when she was blacked out in the ocean, hands that felt exactly like Isaac's touch...  
  
"I was saved by your love, wasn't I?" she whispered.  
  
Isaac nodded. "I guess, I was so upset I basically lifted you up from the bottom of the sea."  
  
Mia smiled. "And my love for you made me able to save you."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
They smiled at eachother.  
  
"So the answer to these miracles is love." Mia sighed.  
  
The two began to kiss.  
  
And all seemed right with the world.  
  
"Land ho!"  
  
Hours later, Isaac, Mia, and thier friends had been reunited, and were once again on thier way.  
  
Ivan, who had been asleep since the incident that morning, rubbed his eyes.  
  
"Huh what?" he mumbeled sleepily.  
  
Garet looked out and shouted.  
  
"It's jupiter lighthouse!"  
  
Isaac whooped out loud and Mia almost began to cry.  
  
"We found it! We found it!"  
  
The boat drew closer to the land, and finally docked. The friends left the boat and waved to thier new friends before it left again.  
  
Mia sighed. "Only a little longer to go before..."  
  
She left her sentence hanging. Everyone fell silent.  
  
They all walked in the direction of the purple tower without saying a word.  
  
Finally, Ivan broke the silence. "I guess this is it."  
  
Isaac nodded, still in a quiet mood.  
  
"Well, this is our third lighthouse." Ivan tried again, attempted to drive away the awkward feeling surrounding the adepts.  
  
Garet sighed. "Maybe this time we'll do it right."  
  
Mia caught Isaac's eye and they smiled. She knew no matter what happened, they would never be apart.  
  
All of them looked at the tower looming ahead and began to walk once again down the dusty dirt road to Jupiter Lighthouse, the road to destiny.  
  
And in Mia and Isaac's case, the road to the rest of thier lives together.  
  
The End. 


End file.
